Silent Dreams (Prologue-Chapter 46)
by Fitey888
Summary: Ive returned to the Ani section! Anyway, the Ellimist is back, and the Animorphs face another enitity they never thought existed. (think werewolves, heh-heh.)
1. Silent Dreams (Prologue-Chapter 5)

Silent Dreams

(A/N: Ever notice how all my Animorph fics seem to have the word 'dream' in the titles? ^_^. Anyway, my twisted mind returns to the Animorph section, mwhahaha)

Prologue

Turning down the road, Jake noticed a big dog panting by the roadside. It wagged his tail when he saw Jake, and his tongue lolled out.

"Hey boy," Jake grinned. Jake had been a dog; just seeing them made him laugh at their HAPPINESS.

Jake reached out a hand and scratched behind the dog's ears. Suddenly-

The dog let out a vicious growl, and sank its teeth into Jake's arm.

"Ahh!" He cried. The fangs seemed to have reached his veins; the blood was everywhere, everywhere-

Blood was rushing over his arm, his vision was fading in and out, the dog was spinning in circles around Jake, dodging in and out to take bites, he was falling, falling- then it was dark.

Chapter 1

Marco

"A dog?" Cassie was asking. "Was it drooling- did it seem odd?"

"Other than the fact he bit me- no. He seemed normal, and then something seemed to make him go crazy."

Cassie bit her lip, and stared at Jake with concern. "You saw a doctor, right? He would be able to see if you were infected."

"I saw one. He said nothing was wrong. I don't know… It's just odd that a dog would _do_ that."

I chewed on a French fry. They were getting all mushy again. I'm a comedian; not a romance novelist. 

"This is all very touching- and I _know_ you'd love to continue, but, can we get to the **point**?" I asked.

"Oh. Right." Jake said, turning away from Cassie.

Rachel glanced at Tobias. Oh, great. Now _they_ were going to start. I sighed. I can only handle mush if it's coming from some girl who is looking at me. 

Speaking of which…

"I got a date," I told everyone. "With some new kid. Beautiful girl; said she's from Romania, I think."

"England."

"I was close," I countered.

Jake's eyes rolled. 

Rachel cut in. "Like you said Marco- let's get to the point!"

"As you wish, Xena, O Warrior Princess."

"Tobias?"

"Well, Ax and I have been scouting out. We've found a new pool entrance. And, Champman seems to be getting edgy. _Something_ is going to happen. Soon. I can feel it." Tobias semi-explained.

"The new pool entrance is located at-" Tobias broke off, and looked around. There, standing rock still, was the girl from England or Romania. Maybe Greece.

It wasn't they way she was standing; it was the way she was _looking_. Right at Jake. Like she had seen a ghost. 

Rachel stood up. She waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Excuse me. Are you like, on drugs or something?"

No reaction.

"Alright. Move it." Rachel said, giving the girl a shove. The girl broke off from her trance, and glanced at Rachel. 

"I'm sorry, did I bump you?" Rachel mocked.

The girl gave her an odd look, and walked off.

Rachel sat back down.

"Alright, continue." She told Tobias.

"OK. As I was saying; the pool entrance is located at the-"

And then, time stopped. I sighed; it was going to be a long day…

Chapter 2

Aximili

Time froze. I caught a look of annoyance on the face of Marco, and that was it. Then, we were somewhere else in the mall- some store where they were selling face pieces, axes, odd costumes, and candy.

What is this place?

I was in my own body; therefore I spoke in thoughtspeak. 

THE HALLOWEEN STORE.

"Oooh. I want that 'Austin Powers' costume. Rachel, you can be the 'British Girl'." Marco said. I didn't understand what was going on.

Humans actually sell their faces, and give away weapons that could cause harm for this…'Halloween'?

"We'll tell you about it later, Ax." Jake told me.

I nodded.

"So what does the Grim Reaper have to tell us today?" Marco asked. "Having a party in space? Need us to get some good cheese dip?"

NO. 

"Doubted it, but thought I should try."

I HAVE COME BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW, THE YEERKS ARE GETTING MORE ACTIVE. I WILL TELL YOU WHY.

Jake glanced at the Ellimist. This was not his usual way; he normally had us a task to complete.

THE YEERKS ARE DIVISING A WAY TO BEND TIME. ANOTHER TIME MATRIX, YOU MIGHT SAY. IT IS HERE, ON EARTH, HIDDEN IN THE YEERK POOL, GUARDED BY THE DEADLIEST TAXXON AND HORK-BAJIR WARRIORS. VISSER THREE IS SUPERVISING IT'S CONSTRUCTION, SO THAT NOTHING MIGHT HAPPEN. I NEED YOU TO DESTROY IT. 

"I thought the Yeerks weren't advanced with that kind of technology." Rachel pointed out.

She is right. How did the Yeerks discover this?

I could feel the Ellimist's frown.

CRAYAK AND I HAD A DEAL. HE WOULD GIVE THE YEERKS SUFFICENT TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD IT, AND HAVE IT BUILT ON EARTH. I WAS ALLOWED TO INFORM YOU, AND HELP YOU A LITTLE TO DISCOVER HOW TO DESTROY IT. 

"Help is good."

I AM TO TELL YOU ONLY ONE THING AT THIS POINT. 

"Figures," Rachel murmured. 

TO GET TO THE GROVE WHERE IT IS HIDDEN, YOU WILL NEED A BAT MORPH. I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE ONE. NOW, IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIGURE OUT THE REST.

"Some help," Marco grumbled, as we reappeared at the food court.

Silently, I agreed.

"Now, what is this Halloween?" I asked. "Hallo. Llo. Lo. Loween."

Chapter 3

Kari

That boy! She had seen him, but who was he? 

Thoughts raced through her mind; which she, Kari, had no mind for. It didn't matter; nothing did. Just the key of life: kill or be killed.

She had no use for thoughts; the time for thinking was well over. Now it was time to run; to feel the heat of the half moon, the energy flow through her, to transform in the moon, to run through the night, dancing with the stars, to-

Then she remembered, as she ran through the woods, scaring the small and large animals, deer and voles away, she remembered. She smelled fear and resentment.

She remembered who he was. The boy. She had bitten the boy. And now, he was cursed. Forever.

Chapter 4

Rachel

We left the mall, Jake and Marco and I explaining the concept of Halloween to Ax along the way. I still don't think he got it.

After we finished that, Cassie asked more stuff about the dog, mainly about the appearance, sometimes about the way it acted, but in the end, the answer was the same: 'I don't know.'

We made it to the barn.

"Now, Tobias. Can you-"

"Please tell us where the new Yeerk Pool entrance is?" Everyone but Ax and Tobias said, at exact same time.

Sure.

Marco and I sat on various bales of hay, while Jake and Cassie worked on feeding the animals and stuff. Ax demorphed to his Andalite form, and watched outside warily.

The Pool Entrance is at the arcade. Kids that put up fights, steal quarters and junk- they get taken back, and when they get back- they aren't human anymore. Anyone who breaks the slightest rule- off to the Yeerk Pool.

"But that's not horrible…" Cassie trailed off.

"No, except for the some kids that **_do_** do stuff like that. Its only a few, but every person counts…" Jake replied. 

Marco was looking shaky. "The arcade? Which arcade? There's the one at the mall, and then, the one in town."

Both. At least, I think so. Ax?

_Shorm_ Tobias is right. At both arcades, they have Pool entrances. We will have to eliminate both.

"Yeah," I added.

Cassie and Jake exchanged secret looks.

"But there are so many people there," Cassie told us.

"We'd have to do it at night." Jake said, smiling. "This will be almost too easy. After we do this, we can concentrate on destroying 

the time bending-machine."

There was something about that smile…

Chapter Five

Tobias

I drifted through the trees, banked left, and glided down and landed on my favorite perch: an old, gnarled tree branch. From there, I could see all the meadow, and the mice.

Using my eyes, I spotted a mouse that was gnawing on a seed, trying to crack it open. I waited, waited, -FLY!

I flared my wings, and dived towards the doomed mouse. 

"TSSSEERRR!" I cried, snatching the creature in my talons, and landing on a safe spot where I could eat in piece. Eagerly I ate, then began preening. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of movement.

I turned my head, and gazed in the direction of movement. 

I tried to peer into the woods; but whatever had been there was gone. Shrugging mentally, I returned to my branch.

Pondering what the movement was, I tried to shake it off. We had more important things to think about. 

The sun was lowering, the last rays peeking over the trees, and I watched it for a few minutes, gazing at the picture-perfect quality.

Picture-perfect quality that was better than my old life.

Drawing myself closer to the tree, I ruffled my wings, then, dug my talons in deeper. I got ready for sleep.


	2. Silent Dreams (Chapters 6-10)

Chapter 6

Marco

I groaned. _I definitely need more sleep_, I thought.

Oh well. 

I sat up, and got dressed quickly. Today was… 

As if on cue, my calendar fell off the wall.

__

"October 10, 2000" I read. Something inside my gut twisted. October 10 was three days 'til the full moon. But why was that important? I wondered.

***

At lunch that day, I spotted Kari. "Hey, Kari!" I called.

Kari froze, as if she were some wolf that had been caught stealing sheep.

She turned, slowly. As she saw me, her expression faded to a small-relieved smile.

"Marco, isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeah," I said. I caught myself staring a bit. She was beautiful. Almost prettier than Rachel.

"Look, Marco. About that date. I'm afraid I can't pull through with it. Family celebration three days from now, and we have to get ready," She told me, green-gray eyes focused intently.

"Oh," I replied, trying to hide my disappointment. "OK."

"I _knew_ you'd understand, Marco," She told me, giving me a brief hug, leaving me stunned. 

A Girl. Had. Hugged. Me. And not just **any** girl. One of the prettiest in the whole school. 

I drifted through the rest of my classes the rest of the day.

Chapter 7

Jake

"We have a new socials studies teacher," Cassie told me at lunch. "His name is like Russian. For the life of me, I cannot pronounce it."

"Huh. I have that class. With Marco."

"I have it with Rachel." 

"Weird," I said, with a shrug of my shoulders.

Weird. That explained life for me right now. It seemed… odd. Ever since that dog bit me. 

That morning I had felt some weird pull and had checked the calendar. Three days 'til the full moon. For some reason, that excited a part of me.

I felt extremely cranky half the time, and in an odd pleasant mood the rest. As if I were tired, and had suddenly drank a pot of coffee.

I don't even like coffee.

Sighing, I said bye to Cassie, and went on to my next class. Just a few more hours until freedom. 

Then we could start planning for when and how we would attack the new Pool entrances, and then we could go on to that time matrix.

Lovely. A party at the Yeerk Pool, Marco would say. Too bad we didn't have party mix.

I went on through my classes in a haze. 

Then, quickly gathering my things, I headed for the exit of the school, without my stuff, remembering at the last minute I had to get it.

"What's wrong with me?" I whispered to myself. I must be going crazy or something.

I hoped not.

Chapter 8

Kari

__

Family celebration, indeed. I thought, holding back a laugh as I exited the school. I was glad to be free again. There were so many new places to explore in this new town. So many crevices. So many innocents…

She shook her head. 

__

I'm not here to totally destroy them, She thought. _Then again,_ Her lips twisted into a smile, _it might be enjoyable. _

She continued walking.

Because she didn't want anything interfering with her plans, she decided not to go hunting 'til the full moon. Then she could blame it on the wolfing, Jake. She was staying at a hotel in town, and really didn't feel like eating there. She decided to get some money, and use it to eat out. Perhaps a steak…

She moved swiftly to her room, and entered her bedroom. She pulled out an old, worn purse and dug out some money

She had stolen over a thousand American dollars in cash.

She took $50 and exited, walking back into the street.

Looking around, she tried to decide which was best.

Her eyes scanned the signs. 'McDonalds', 'Burger King', 'KFC', 'Dairy Queen', 'Olive Garden'. 

Shrugging, she trotted towards a restaurant entitled 'Tony's'.

__

Let's try this, She thought…

Chapter 9

Cassie

"We'll attack Friday night," Jake was saying. 

We were at the barn. I was feeding some of the animals.

Marco and Rachel were sitting on bales of hay, as usual and Ax was there for once, standing deadly still except for his stalk eyes. Tobias was in the rafters, watching for my parents. Jake was standing by a fox that was pacing despite its leg wound.

"As for plans…Any ideas?"

"We storm in there, bust up the entrance, and kick some Yeerk butt." Rachel, of course.

Marco rolled his eyes. "And get killed in less than 3.1 seconds after the storming in part."

Jake seemed to think about Rachel's suggestion. "It might work. I mean that if we do it at night, all we need to do is disable the security cameras. Ax can easily do that."

"We need a place to morph," I said. "We can't be walking around the city as a bear, a wolf, a gorilla, a tiger, a hawk, and an Andalite."

"True." Jake agreed.

"We could have Tobias survey the roof and see if there are any places a roach or spider could get into." Marco mused.

"Good idea. Tobias? Tomorrow, check the roof. See if there is anywhere we can get in. At the arcade that's not at the mall, that is." 

"That's right, we have to do the one at the mall, too!"

Jake grinned oddly. In a way that scared me. A wolfish, sly smile. "The Yeerks better be ready, because this time, we're going to get them." 

As everyone said goodbye for the night and left, that smile stayed with me, haunting my dreams.

Chapter 10

Ax

_Shorm_ Tobias, I think that Prince Jake is acting oddly.

Me too, Ax-man. He hasn't been the same since the day he was bit by that dog.

Perhaps it **did** carry diseases.

Perhaps. I couldn't tell you.

Couldn't tell me what? I asked, puzzled.

Tobias gave a mental sigh. Forget it.

OK. But I still don't understand. I told him. Sometimes my human friends will use words and phrases in odd ways that puzzle me.

Will Prince Jake or any of the others be doing something special for this 'Halloween'? I asked. Even though they had explained, I was still a bit confused on the subject.

I don't know, Ax. They might. Usually it's just like, 11 years and younger who go trick-or-treating. They might be going to a costume party or just a party though.

Ah,] I said, understanding a little better. 

Well, Ax. I better get going to do my little survey. You can come if you like.

No thank you, _Shorm_ Tobias. I am going to watch a program on 'Fox Family'. It's called 'My Life As A Sixth Grade Alien'. It looks interesting, though non of the species in '_These Messages_' are ones I have seen or heard of before.

Tobias gave a short laugh. Alright, Ax-Man. Have fun. Save some popcorn for me. And with that, my friend Tobias flew off.


	3. Silent Dreams (Chapters 11-15)

Chapter 11

Rachel

"It's my life and its now or never! I ain't gonna live forever!" 

Bon Jovi's song played on the radio, while Jordan sang along. 

"Like Franken said I feel it in my way!"

"I don't think those are the words-" I began.

Jordan gave me a look. A 'Don't-Interrupt-My-Favorite-Song' look.

I rolled my eyes.

"Are we there yet?" Asked my other little sister, Sara.

"Almost, honey," My mom replied. "We'll be at the mall any minute now."

Which was a lie. We were at least 20 minutes from the mall; it was just one of those things parents did to make their kids feel better.

Some comfort.

I sighed, and turned to look out the window.

There-the arcade! One bird of prey circled overhead. Tobias! I smiled up at the red-tailed hawk. 

Hi, Rachel. Came his mental voice that I had grown so accustomed to. 

So he had noticed me. I made a small nod to show I had heard him, even as we pulled away, 'til he was out of sight.

See you at the meeting tomorrow, his voice called back into my head.

The mall grew in our view. 

"Yay! We're FINALLY here!"

"Yup. And now we can go clothes shopping. I know you all need school clothes." 

I sighed. That was the only kind of shopping I liked. School clothes shopping with mom. Don't get me wrong; my mom has fashion sense. But I think all mothers lose that when school shopping for their kids. Oh well.

The Bon Jovi song had ended. Now, Destiny's Child was on. 

We pulled into the parking lot. 

"Let's go shopping, girls." Smiled my mom.

Chapter 12

Tobias

I spiraled around and above the arcade. Nowhere we could get in that I could see, so far. Wait, what was _that_?

I flared and lowered to the roof, and claw-walked to the edge. A drainage pipe, that's what I'd see. I was about to leave when an idea struck me. I began to peck at the roof right by the drain pipe, and saw to my relief chips breaking off, 'til about ten minutes later, when a whole shingle was gone.

I gave myself a mental smile, and opened my wings to catch a thermal. I had done my part; now to see Jake.

***

I flew back to the forest after seeing Jake. He had been happy I'd found a way in, whether or not I had to 'destroy' the roof in order to do it. If we lost to the Yeerks, more than a shingle on an arcade building would be damaged.

I glided above the trees, until I came to a familiar spot. I lost speed, and drifted down below tree level, and did a flap-and-glide routine to get to Ax's scoop.

When I saw the couch (put there for when Jake or Rachel or Cassie or Marco wanted to watch T.V), I flapped harder to gain more altitude. 

I landed right on top of the couch, and dug my talons in automatically, hearing and feeling the couch's cover ripping. 

Ax was watching 'Pop-Up Video' on VH1.

Hi Ax. Did you like that Alien show?

What? He asked, all eyes glued to the tube.

Um. Never mind…

So, what song is this? I asked.

Uhh…. Ax clicked the info button. 'No Information Available'. He read.

Baha Men! He exclaimed. He began singing. Who, who, who, WHO let the dogs out?!

Ax. I've, uh, got to go hunt before dark. I'm famished. See you...

Who let the dogs out? Bye Tobias- Who who who who who let the dogs out? Get back, get back you flea-infested mongrel!

I rolled my eyes and did a Dr. Evil impersonation. [Riiiigh-tuh.]

Chapter 13

Jake

Yawn, I thought. YAWN. History does that to you.

I looked around the room. That day, I felt the urgent excitement building. I couldn't wait for tomorrow night! I didn't know why…

Tomorrow would be Thursday. The next day we would be working on getting rid of the Yeerks' new pool entrance. 

"Jake? Are you with us? I asked you a question." The thick accented voice cut through my 

thoughts.

"What? I'm sorry. What was the question?"

The teacher sighed. "Is there anyone here who was **PAYING ATTENTION** that could help Jake?"

Every hand in the room shot up.

"Yes, Brittany."

"We were discussing Folk Lore, and I believe the question you asked was what imaginary creature was supposedly able to turn into a wolf by moonlight?" 

"Right. So, Jake. Think you know?"

"WEREWOLVES!" I practically shouted. "WEREWOLVES!"

Everyone stared at me. 

"I THINK I'M GOING TO HURL!" I cried, wanting to get away from all the eyes on me. It was making me sick…

I jumped out of my seat, and ran for the door, running down a small kid who was loaded down with books. "SORRY!" I called back.

The kid gave me a mean glance, then scrambled up, trying to get all the papers in order again.

I ran past the bathrooms, and out of the school, into the fresh air.

I breathed in deeply. It would all end soon, I thought. Soon I'll be _free._

Chapter 14

Cassie

I woke up, sweat beading my forehead. I was hyperventilating. 

I slowed my breathing. Looked at my clock. The red letters glowed '3:42 AM'. I sighed.

It was early. I didn't remember what had woken me up so afraid- and I was glad of it. I needed sleep, not to think about old nightmares. 

Shivering even in the heat of my room, I huddled under the covers.

It was probably the termite dream, I thought. The one where-

I shook my head. I didn't want to think about it. 

But already, my mind was replaying every action. I was going to scream if-

I woke up again. I must've been having a weird nightmare. I shuddered.

Well, I thought. I'm not getting any sleep tonight. The clock's numbers were '5:32 AM' this time. 

I sat up, fixing my nightgown (OK, it was an old paint shirt, so sue me), and walked down the stairs, towards the kitchen. Pulled out a jug of orange juice and grabbed some Oreos. Pigged out for awhile in front of a mute T. V. 

I fell asleep with the bag of Oreos by my side with some old black and white movie playing on the television around 5:30. 

Chapter 15

Marco

"It was true love at first-um, hug." I told them. I looked into her eyes, and she said "Oh Marco, I wish so so so much that I could go on a date with you, but my parents are demons and-"

"In an alternate universe, maybe."

"Hey, who is telling the story here?" I glanced up (literally up) at Rachel. 

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Marco, we're here to discuss battle plans, not you're love life. How many times do I have to say that?"

"I'm going to ignore that," I replied. "Now, who wants to hear what happens next? At least discussing this is more fun than dying and getting gored to death."

Rachel sighed, along with Jake. We looked at him surprised.

"What? What did I do?" He asked.

"Nothing," Rachel answered, but she kept an eye on him after he turned back to Cassie, shrugging.

Do you want to explain what we're going to do? Inquired Tobias.

Jake jumped. "Sorry." He mumbled. "I'm just feeling weird today."

"I noticed." Said Cassie.

"Yeah. Anyway, our plan. I figured we could morph roaches, and climb on Tobias. He can fly us to the arcade, where we can get in. That way, even though we'll have less time, we won't have to morph on the roof. It'll be a lot easier." He explained. "Once we get in, Ax will find a spot to demorph and check for cameras. Marco, you might want to help him-" Ax interrupted with a huff-"to find them."

"Sounds good," Cassie answered.

"Jake, man. I gotta talk with you," I spoke suddenly. "It's about History class yesterday.

Jake froze like a deer in headlights. "OK," He said slowly. 

He led me off away from the group, to a point where he figured Tobias and Ax wouldn't be able to hear us.

"About yesterday. I was really stressed out, Marco. I really _did_ hurl." He explained. "It's just been so weird lately. Ever since that dog bit me." 

"Yeah. I just wanted you to know, we're here for you." I searched his face. "If you've got something you want to say, you can come over to my house. I remember what it was like when my 'mom' died. There was no one to help me, or so I thought. If you need it, you got it, Big Jake."

He forced a smile. "Thanks, man. C'mon, let's go. The girls and Ax and Tobias must be getting impatient. We need rest if we're going to attack the pool tomorrow night. And time to do our homework, and think up excuses."

"Right, man." I turned, and walked away, looking once over my shoulder to see him looking up at the sky, towards the far-away clouds.


	4. Silent Dreams (Chapters 16-20)

Chapter 16

Kari

I copied the words that had been embedded in my mind ever since my first change and put them on paper. I would find some way to give them to the wolfing, Jake. That way he would know enough; unless he was too stupid to figure it out.

I wasn't about to kill one of my own kind; whether or not I liked them.

I neatly folded the paper, and placed it in my pocket. I glanced around the small coffee shop I was in. 

A man in a black shirt with at least three tattoos was looking at me. I narrowed my eyes and stared into his. 

After a minute, he decided he didn't want any coffee to drink, and left quickly, almost falling out of his chair. 

Several other people in the coffee shop glanced at him, shrugged, and went back to their conversations with each other and such. 

Stretching, I got up and left, walking out of the pale-rose colored room, into the streets, to prepare for the Wereing.

Chapter 17

Jake

I crankily got up. Today was not going to be pleasant. 

I checked the calendar. October 13, 2000. A Friday. 

Sighing, I changed into school clothes, and went downstairs. I headed out the door avoiding my family; I did not want to talk. 

I headed towards the school, walking fast. Remembered I had three tests that day, one in history, a math test, and an English test. Wonderful, my favorite subjects. Better than science though.

I sighed again, 'Free Falling' playing on my mind. I passed trees that had lost their leaves completely, a pile of red or orange or yellow around them. A beautiful sight, for those who cared about scenery. 

I edged into the school, and put my stuff in my locker. Then, walking fast, I headed to class. 

I slammed my stuff on the desk I sat in, and there-

Under the desk lay a crumpled piece of greeny black paper. 

I opened it, and written in a spiky slant were the words "Rules of the "Wereing".

Looking around, I saw no one acting suspicious, I had a few minutes before class. 

I squinted to read the words, hunched over the paper.

Chapter 18

Cassie

At lunch I saw Jake, a troubled look on his face, and there was a thin, pale look to his features. I walked forward to talk to him, to understand, but he gave me a look that said 'Not Now'. Shrugging, I sat down at a table next to Rachel. 

"Jake's acting odd again," Rachel commented, obviously seeing our looks.

"Yeah," I said, brow furrowing.

"Do **you** know what's wrong with him?" She asked.

"Me? No." I answered. 

"Well, you're the one that's the expert at characters and stuff. I figured you would know." Rachel said in a bored tone. 

"Rachel, I don't know how to judge anyone in our group anymore."

"You do too. I know you, Cassie. We've been best friends for forever. But if you don't know, I'll take you're word for it. Let's talk about something else, OK? I'm getting creeped out."

"Don't I know it." 

"You know," She said, looking me up and down. "We should go shopping."

Chapter 19

Marco

I passed everyone in our little group that day, but not Kari. I looked for her expectantly, trying to figure out where she was. 

Sighing, I moved on. I should've known better than to keep my hopes up. Even though I am always trying to find something funny about every situation, this time I couldn't. 

The gods of irony were at it again.

First it was my mom 'dying', then finding she was Visser One, then two other times not knowing whether or not she was alive, etc. It was just so sad it was funny. 

I laughed out loud, and several people stared at me. We were in the middle of class. 

I grinned. "Sorry. I just remembered this joke. Ever hear the one about the three nuns wh-"

The kids had turned away, and the teacher was glaring. 

What class was this? My mind raced. English! That's it. 

"No talking during a test." 

"This is a test? I didn't know! You didn't warn us…" My mind raced for excuses.

"I gave you three weeks to prepare." 

"Oh, THAT test. Alrighty." 

I got to work. 

'Write a paragraph about…" That was about as far as I got when I remembered. "IT'S FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH!" I cried. 

The teacher sighed, and shook her head. 

That was the highlight of my day. 

Chapter 20

Ax

Several T.V shows later, Tobias, Prince Jake, Cassie, Marco, Rachel, and I were gathered in the woods. I don't like being in Cassie's barn; it's too enclosed. 

"So. We're doing it tonight?" Marco asked. "There's a good movie on Starz, I've been waiting weeks…"

"Yes Marco, we ARE doing it today. Or, tonight."

"The first full moon of October." Rachel stated grimly. "3 days of the full moon, Friday the 13th being the first. That's today. _Friday the 13th"_ She repeated.

"We are soo doomed." Jake rolled his eyes. "I can't believe how odd you guys are acting. Nothing bad is going to happen to night. That is, not to us. To the Yeerks." He grinned.

Perhaps we should all go and check out this entrance Tobias has provided us so we might be prepared for tonight? I asked. 

"Sounds like a plan," Cassie said. "Jake?"

"Fine. We'll go check the roof first, then go inside and look around."

I began to morph my bird: Northern Harrier. I was aware of my friends morphing around me, all but Tobias, who was a bird already. At least, in body.

The first change was my size. I shrank and shrank to bird-size, and then my face grew into a beak.

The next change was my legs. The front ones dwindled to nothing while my back legs turned into the scaly bird legs and feet, complete with talons.

Next, my arms disappeared to Z-Space, and then wings grew. My eyes sharpened, my eyestalks leaving, and then the feathers grew. My tail became a bird's, and soon, I found myself complete on the forest floor, along with six other birds of prey.

Flapping our wings, our band flew up into the sky, headed towards the town and the arcade.


	5. Silent Dreams (Chapters 25-30)

Chapter 21

Kari

The sun was low in the sky, getting ready to set.

I shifted on the tree branch I was sitting on, and peered off into the distance. Soon the moon would be up, and the Wereing would begin. 

My mind drifted to the wolfing. He would probably ignore my warnings and the Rules, and become a werewolf in plain sight. I grinned at the thought of what might happen if _that_ happened. 

Finally, my thoughts changed to that other boy, Marco. I hadn't seen him since the day I told him about the 'family celebration', and, to my surprise, I actually missed him a little. Perhaps, just this once…

I shook my head. I wasn't about to bond with a human. If I got too close and changed him as well, he would probably never forget or forgive me for it, and where would I be then? Cold, lost, and hungry in a new town, looking for more prey. I couldn't let my feelings overcome my reason, or the facts. And the facts were if I fell in love with Marco, I might as well be dead.

Shaking my head, I jumped off the tree branch and landed cat-like and headed toward a clearing where I would be able to see the moon.

Chapter 22

Tobias

We flew to the arcade, and, as the building came to view, we spread out more so were about 100 feet apart. I was leading them to the spot in the roof.

One by one, me first, we landed on the roof, and walked to the space where I had scratched away the shingle.

[Well, this should be fairly easy to get into. It's about, what, 1 or 2 inches wide? Easy for a cockroach to get into.] Jake mused. [Are you sure it won't be too hard for you to see, Tobias?] He asked me.

[What, me? Of course not! You are talking to a professional, Jake.]

[We worry about you, Tobias.] Rachel said privately. [Be careful tonight, alright?]

[When am I ever not?] I asked rhetorically. Rachel didn't answer. 

[Anyway, should we tour the inside now?] I inquired. 

[Alright,] Jake replied. [Should we go back to the woods to get our 'normal' clothes?]

[Nah. Not for a quick survey,] Marco said. 

[I agree. It'll take too long. Let's go.] Said Cassie.

[OK. Alright… Anyone see a place to demorph?] 

I peered around. Buildings, road, cars…

[Alley!] Cried Rachel. [Let's go!] 

Rachel flapped her wings, and then dived into the alley out of sight. Next was Jake, then Cassie, Ax, Marco, and I went last.

Rachel was human already, and was looking disgusted at the ground of the alley, and her bare feet. 

Smiling to myself, I morphed human. 

"Dogone it, we don't have any shoes!" Grumbled Marco. "Shoes are our _friends_."

"Shut up, Marco." 

Marco sighed, and we walked out of the alley feeling like we had just come from a circus sideshow. 

Chapter 23

Cassie

For some odd reason, as we walked into the arcade, there was no one there. That was unusual. I mean, I don't usually go to the arcade, because I really don't like the games and have so much to do, but Jake and Marco talk about it like it's always full. 

We walked around a few minutes, and the longer we were there, the more self-conscious I got. My feet were dirty from the alley, my morphing suit a bit faded. For once, I felt like shopping.

Scary.

Marco and Ax looked for cameras, while the rest of us searched for places to morph. I found a particularly good alcove that was shadowed next to a racing game. I made a mental note of it, and moved on to search. 

"Pri- I mean, Jake, Marco and I think we found them all," Ax reported in a semi-whisper. 

"Alright. Let's go; we found enough places to morph." 

Ax nodded, and then we followed Jake out. I felt a knot tightning in my stomach about the thought of tonight. _Something_ big was going to happen. I couldn't ignore it. But I tried.

I was going to regret it.

Chapter 24 

Rachel

It was getting late. The sun was setting, and the night was growing fast. Almost too fast. 

I felt adrenaline flooding my systems, preparing me for the night. Jake was right; the Yeerks better watch out. We were on a mission tonight, it was going to be a massacre. 

I stared out my window, waiting for the phone call that would say they were ready, that it was time. Time to go. 

Shifting restlessly, I stared at the blank TV, thinking. Cassie had told me privately on the way back that she thought something bad was going to happen tonight. I didn't believe it, but still, the thought stuck to my thoughts, trying to raise a healthy fear. I couldn't shove it away, and it gnawed on me, eating away my defenses.

Yeah, life was good. The irony was sweet. 

Rubbing an eye, I almost jumped as the phone rang. 

I picked it up on the second ring.

"Hello?" 

"Rachel. It's time," Said Marco's voice.

"Alright, Marco. Where are we meeting?"

"At the barn. Where else, O Might Xena."

"Whatever." I hung up, without waiting for his reply and saying goodbye.

I went upstairs to my room, and shut and locked the door. I opened the window. Then, after stripping to my morphing outfit, I began to morph bald eagle. 

After I finished, I realized I was almost to big for the window. I hopped onto the windowsill, and jumped out of the window, without opening my wings 'til I was outside. I pulled out of the steep drop I was in, and flew off towards the barn. 

Chapter 25

Ax

Rachel was last to arrive. She demorphed and looked around. "We could have a party in here. We just need streamers, and those hats."

"Hey, I thought I was the comic relief." Marco remarked.

"And you're sooo much better at it," Rachel joked.

"You're words are like you're sword in me, O Xena,"

"Are we ready?" Asked Prince Jake.

"Ready as I'll ever be,"

"No."

"LET'S DO IT!"

[Yeah.]

[Yes, Prince Jake.]

"Good. Let's morph… Tobias, you better come down here."

Tobias floated down to the ground, while we began to morph cockroach.

My eyestalks shrunk, and my face melted. I became smaller, smaller, 'til I was cockroach size. The rest of the changes were a mystery, because my eyes went blind, or just about blind. 

I rushed towardsTobias, scurrying over dust and dirt, till I saw a feather, and heard his mental voice. 

[Ax, is that you?]

[Yes, Tobias.]

A talon came into view, and I crawled onto it, seeing, or rather smelling the others.

[Hang on, guys. And girls.]

I felt the air from Tobias' wings on my body, as he flew us higher and higher, until the ground was blurry (well, it went blurry after two feet. Or maybe 2 inches). 

[This is kind of fun,] Rachel stated.

[Fun? Fun!? This is INSANE!] Cried Marco. [INSANE! I-N-S-A-N-E!]

[Ah, quit being such a baby.]

[We're almost there,] Tobias told us. [Maybe 5 more minutes.]

[Ax, will you keep track of time for us?] 

[Of course.]

We flew on, discussing plans for awhile, but after a minute or two, the subject changed to Halloween.

[My mom is taking us to get pumpkins to carve in a day or two.] Rachel said. 

[Me too.] Jake voiced. 

[I'm getting mine in a week. That way it won't rot before its time.] Cassie uttered. 

Marco was silent. I guessed that because his mother was 'dead' his father didn't usually take him to get a pumpkin to carve. That was just a theory, being that I didn't know what one was anyway. In explaining Halloween, they didn't mention pumpkin carving.

[By your silence, Ax, I'm guessing you don't know what pumpkin carving is.] Tobias guessed.

[No, I don't,] I answered.

[I'll explain. It's a big, roundish, orange plant, and you cut off the top, pull out the seeds and guts, and then carve a face into it. That's it in a nutshell.] Marco explained.

[Oh look, we're here.]

[Already?] Jake asked. 

[Hold on, I'm going to land!] Tobias warned.

THUMP! 

We landed on the roof. Ahead, I saw a red color then black and then red again.

[Can you see the crack?] Asked Tobias.

[Yes,] We all answered.

[See ya later then. Good luck. I'll be waiting.] 

We all crawled off, and ran towards the hole. Two by two, we fell in.

[Follow me, guys. I think I see the way.] Jake told us.

I followed the cockroach in front of me, and eventually, I saw a bit of light. 

[Here we are,] Cassie said. [I think.]

[Hey, I think that I can see the top of a game!] Marco cried. [Oh…Nevermind.]

We walked on a crossbeam that was as wide as two of us lengthwise. 

I felt the beam below us go down diagonally, and I slipped a bit, until my tiny claws caught the wood.

[I think we're low enough to jump off.] Jake mused.

[Alright…]

[One…]

[Two…]

[THREE!!!!!!!]

[AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!] We all screamed.

I twisted and rolled and dipped, spinning around and around as I fell for what seemed like an eternity, until-

WHUMPH!

I landed, along with the others.

[Alright. Let's do it!] Rachel exclaimed.

Chapter 26

Kari

I was getting impatient. It was around 7, and the sun was still setting, with no sign of the moon. I had long since moved from the clearing in the woods, to my hotel room. I knew I'd have enough time to move if the sun finally decided to set.

Sighing, I sat on the edge of my bed and fell over, thinking. About Marco, again.

With his dark eyes, and seemingly sad smile. It was a pity, I thought. Such a pity…

I found that, despite my will, I couldn't resist my feelings. I was irresistibly drawn to him, with his jokes, and his laughter. 

Which meant-

I didn't get any further. I noticed the sun setting, going down.

__

It's solved then. I thought. _I'll do it._

With that, I stood up, and moved silently out of my room.

Chapter 27

Marco

Ax and I moved to the place we had found earlier, and Ax demorphed first. 

[It's clear,] He told me.

I demorphed next, glad when my eyes returned, even though the room was dim.

"Too bad we don't have a slingshot."

[Do you hear music?]

"No."

Ax looked puzzle. [Are you sure? I'm certain I heard a song. Something about weird things living in the fridge.]

"Ax you've been watching to many music videos."

Ax moved carefully along the path we had memorized in our short stay. 

Suddenly-

FWAP! FWAP! FWAP!

So much for the security cameras.

[It's safe, Prince Jake.]

[Thanks Ax, Marco.]

I heard the sounds of morphing.

"Alright, let's morph."

Moving into a shadow, I began to morph my favorite animal: Gorilla. Strong enough to beat up 5 full grown men, strong enough to pull a sapling out of the ground and use a guy as a baseball.

Fur sprouted, and I heard my morphing clothes rip as I gained muscles and muscles, until I was gorilla all the way, even the gorilla mind was present.

I made my way towards Ax, knuckle walking.

[So. Where is the entrance?]

[In the back,] Jake's voice answered in my head.

[LET'S GO!] Growled Rachel. 

I saw her being led by Cassie who was a wolf, sleek and dangerous. 

Jake led us to the back, the black stripes on him blending with the dark shadows. 

We passed the desk where the owner of the store sat, making sure no one busted the games or tried to get their quarters back.

I opened the door to the back room, which was even darker. We searched the dark for a light switch, 'til I found one, well aware of what could go wrong. The light on, we saw a door leading to the back. A long with two security guards.

"AND-" Started one, but, before he could finish, Jake had knocked him out with a swing from his paw. The other guard stood shaking. 

"Andalite…anda…lite…" 

A swing from Ax's tail put him out of duty.

[Gee,] I began, staring at the door behind the guards. [Could this be it?]

[Would you do the honors, Rachel?] Jake asked.

[Of course!]

Rachel charged forward, and busted the door in. Then, after ripping out, she threw the guards' bodies down the stairwell. 

[Ouch. That had to hurt.] Cassie commented.

[Now, we only need to block the entrance.]

Ax stood looking around. [Would that work?] He asked, pointing at a desk.

[Of course!] I replied. I picked it up like a paperweight, and slammed it onto the stairs, breaking one, and turning the desk into splinters. 

[Rachel, punch that stair out, would you?]

Rachel fell to all fours, and moved forward. Then, raising a mighty paw, she brought it out the stair. 

WHAM!

The floor gave a small shake as not one, but several stairs dented and splintered. 

Finally, I took the door, and crammed it back into place.

[That should prove our point.] Jake told us. 

[What if it doesn't? I mean, a few stairs, a door, it's easily repairable.]

[Alright, stand back.] Rachel muttered. [This ought to do it.]

She reared back up, and layed several hammer blows onto the ceiling above the door. 

The ceiling shuddered, and then I moved in, and slammed my fists into it.

Dust began to trickle down, until…

[LOOK OUT!] Cried Cassie. 

I moved just as half the ceiling fell in, burying the door.

[That wasn't so hard,] Rachel said, surveying the damage.

Chapter 28

Cassie

[The poor owner. Of course, he's probably a Yeerk too.] I thought out loud.

[I can't wait till we get to do the one at the mall!] Rachel said.

[Oh great. They'll probably have even more guards and security cameras.] Marco muttered.

[How do we get out?] I asked.

[Oops. I guess we did forget something.]

[Let's just morph something tiny- like a fly- and crawl under the door.]

[Not out the door. We can fly up to the shingle again,] Jake decided.

[Alright.]

We moved back to the main room, where the games were, and demorphed. Then, after I became human, I began to become a fly.

Becoming a fly is not a pretty thing. Morphing any insect isn't. I guess it's a bug thing. Having three body sections, compound eyes, a proboscis, and six legs isn't a fashion statement, unless you want someone to say 'GROSS!'. 

I'll save you the details, and skip to the part where we got to Tobias again, and landed on him and flew us back to the barn.

"The moon is almost up!" I said.

"Oh, wonderful. Somebody grab a camera."

"It's the full moon, on Friday the thirteenth. Run, hide, escape, or you shall perish!" 

"Hahaha."

We sat in the barn, looking up at the sky. Or, at least, the others sat while I worked. I hadn't had time enough to finish my chores before the mission.

Jake moved to help me, but I told him I could handle it. I only needed to give the goose her pills. 

I saw Jake staring at the raising moon in an odd fashion, and he looked puzzled. He saw me looking, and gave me a look that said 'Tell You Later'.

"Well, I have to go. Luckily tomorrow is Friday. I have a test on Monday," Rachel told us.

"Me too," Marco said. "See-ya."

Jake looked my way. "I have a test Tuesday. It seem likes the teachers want to cram in as much homework as they can before break."

"See-ya."

The others left, Tobias and Ax lingering awhile longer to talk, until, they too had gone. Finishing my chores, I gave a look in their direction until they were gone. Then, I shut off the light and went into the house.

Chapter 28

Jake 

Full Moon 1

I felt an odd tingling in me, as if I was gaining the power to morph again, as I walked home.

The moon was full and shining on me, and the longer it did, the more I wanted to run and run, and never stop, just to feel the power.

The darkness seemed as nothing, because of the brightness of the moon. Everything seemed sharper, and I was amazed at how much I could see.

My mind drifted to the morning, when I had received that note. "Rules of the Wereing'' it said. 

I had it in my jean pockets (we had put on our normal clothes at the barn), but I didn't want to look at it, even though I was trying to remember what it said. 

Rule 1: The Wereing takes place in the 12th year if bitten before. In other cases, it starts at the soonest full moon. 

Rule 2: To become a full-fledged werewolf, a wolfling must kill and eat something during the nights of the full moon.

Rule 3: A full-fledged werewolf may not cross water, though he can go in water.

Rule 4: A full-fledged werewolf may become a human at any time, but must change during the full moon.

Rule 5: A werewolf cannot tolerate silver in wolf form.

That was all I could remember, but I thought there might be a bit more. 

The tingling was getting stronger, and I noticed I could hear better now, and smell.

It was like becoming a wolf…

I shook my head. Why was I thinking of such nonsense? People didn't become _werewolves._ That was just stuff to scare kids. I hadn't believed it for years… Had I?

But now… I noticed something else. The tingling was so strong, that it almost hurt. Suddenly, I heard my clothes rip. My face elongated into a muzzle. I felt a tail form, and then luxurious white fur covered my body. My eyes sharpened further as they changed.

__

What's happening? Am I morphing? I thought, panicking. Did I have that disease that Rachel had had when she acquired that crocodile? It couldn't be that; I hadn't acquired any new morphs lately.

Suddenly, I noticed the change was done. I was huge, monstrous. The size of a large pony. 

My stomach rumbled, reminding me how hungry I was. I looked around, sensing everything. Somewhere there had to be something to eat…

I skulked towards the shadows, keeping low, moving fluidly.

My mind wasn't at all on the fact that this was odd. I was powerful; mighty. I could hear and smell animals fleeing before me, though there were few. I heard dogs barking at me, but I ignored them. 

I slid through the shadows of the night, close to houses, though I still had the moon shining on me. It's very presence filled me with strength and helped my senses.

Suddenly, an odd smell met my nose. It smelled…It was indescribable. It was like…

I saw a flash of…something. Something was out there, something that _wasn't_ afraid of me. Which meant a challenge. A fight.

I moved forward, crawling through the grass to sneak up on the form, when I heard a short, barking laugh that in my head formed words. _Sneak up on me? That's a laugh. Foolish wolfling. _

I looked around, annoyed. That voice angered me, it seemed to invade my mind. A section of me that was personal. I didn't want anyone to see my thoughts.

There was more harsh laughter. _Aw, does Jake not like me? I'm soo sad._

My lip curled, and I thought of tearing that disembodied voice to pieces. I would-

__

You'd what? Fight me? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!

The laughter stopped. This time, a low growl spoke.

__

That would be a big mistake. Even if you did defeat me-, which is a chance of one in a million-, you'd have to face my other wolflings. They seem attached to me. Act as though I'm their mother. Touching, isn't it? Besides Jake- I made you strong. It's because of me_ you're who you are now. And, you might want to try and actually _hide _you're thoughts instead of projecting them. I could hear you across the town!_

I paused, and wondered how to do that. Should I… What?

__

Pretend you're thoughts are words you are speaking. You can project them to anyone, everyone, or no one. Explained the voice.

__

I get it, I thought to the voice.

__

Good, it said. _Now follow me and I will show you how to become stronger, little one._

Finally, I saw it- a huge, massive beast that was much bigger than I. She (for I could tell it was a she now) stood on her hind legs, and I saw for the first time that she wasn't a wolf- she was like a human mixed with a wolf. With limbs that weren't quite feet or hands or legs or arms, but weren't paws either. A face that wasn't a snout but wasn't human either. 

I realized that I looked that way too- but seemed… cleaner, less dirty. The beast in front of me wasn't silky-furred, but the fur was knotted and twisted and scared. The thing's face had several huge scars on its nose. 

__

Follow me, Jake. 

Pulled by some unseen bond, I followed her into the night.

Chapter 29

Kari

The boy was a full. He followed me without question or care; but willingly. Unlike the others. 

He noticed my 'dirtiness' and his own clean fur. I knew that if he did what I told him, he wouldn't look that way in a few days.

I led him to the forest where we were sure to find good game; I had found a good spot where deer grazed, and tried to hide. But I knew the way forests were; I had lived in one for my time as a wolfling, until I too had become fully powered.

We moved swiftly and silently- or at least, I did. I had to stop a few times for him to catch up, though even when he had caught up I had to tell him where I was.

He learned quickly though. He would be a good pupil; I would teach him the ways and the Rules just as I had taught others. My wolflings. 

Though I was there in body I wasn't in mind; I was thinking of Marco. Perhaps Jake would know where he was…

First, we had to hunt. I was surprised how eager he was for the power. It reminded me of myself as a young one, with my own master. 

__

Are we there yet? He asked impatiently.

__

Almost. Look- there is the clearing. Stop! I commanded. 

__

Do as I do, Jake.

Slowly, I edged forward, knowing what was to come.

As expected, the deer looked up, shivering. I stared one in the eyes, and I saw its eyes widen, and I moved forward, never moving my gaze. 

The deer stood frozen, as if in headlights. 

Suddenly- I leapt!

I howled triumphantly as I brought the buck down, and snapped its neck, holding onto it with my jaws. 

__

Here Jake, have a taste. I said, pulling him to the carcass with a paw hand.

He looked at it, and then at me. _Well? Don't you want the power? _I asked.

__

Yes but…

Take it then. You'll be powerful, feared by all creatures. 

I…

If you won't have any of it, then I will. I am hungry and this is too good to waste.

Tearing off chunks with my huge teeth, I swallowed without chewing. The venison was wonderful; all I needed were some chips, I thought, smiling.

I saw Jake back away, slowly, disgusted by my eating habits. I grinned at him, showing bloody teeth and fur. 

That was all it took. He immediately whirled away, running towards civilization. I wasn't worried; I had two more days. If that time went up; I would have to dispose of him. Or have humans do the dirty work. I didn't kill my own kind…After eating, I found a small stream and drank deeply, and then washed my fur. Shaking the water off, I moved towards the town again, staying in the woods as long as possible. It would be morning, soon. I would find Marco, and then, tomorrow or Sunday, Jake would be like me. A werewolf. For as long as he lived…


	6. Silent Dreams (Chapters 31-35)

Chapter 30

Ax

The night was chilly. I began to see, as the days were going further into the month, it got colder. I decided I might need to find a way to keep myself warmer in the days that followed; though how I would was a mystery. On the Andalite home world, it didn't get much colder than a cold summer night on Earth. 

I moved through the forest unconsciously; I knew it well enough that I barely had to think about dodging fallen trees and the like, so that I needed only think 'I'll go see Tobias' or 'I'll get a drink from the stream' and I was on my way there. A warrior Andalite adapts quickly enough. I suppose in cases that we are stranded somewhere, we need to.

At that moment, I was going to see Tobias. I was wondering if he had any news, or if he merely wanted to watch television. I was getting a bit lonely from him not coming around with me as much during these last few days, and I was hoping to spend some 'quality time' with my nephew, my _shorm_.

I came to the meadow and tree where Tobias spent most of his time but to my disappointment he wasn't there. Sighing, I walked the way back to my scoop. There went my hopes for going to the mall to get a cinnamon bun. 

Chapter 31

Jake

My head was in a whirl. I kept thinking of yesterday. 

__

It was just a dream, I thought. But then I saw her, the wolf-creature running through the woods, leading me to the deer and that doe going down, acting as though it had been shot. The wolf thing might have been ugly, but it was powerful and moved with a sort of grace that a wolf possesses. 

But I didn't want to believe. It couldn't be true, it couldn't it _couldn't!_ My head screamed. I had seen Yeerks, I had seen strange things, aliens and mutants and horrible things that no teenager should ever have to see, but this was the worst. I felt torn- half of me wanted to forget the war, to take the beast's offer, but the other half was firmly against it, straining to pull me out of the hole I had fallen into. But I couldn't resist the feeling that had come…

If it were true, I wouldn't be able to withhold tonight. Not for two more days… 

But oh, I was tired of blood. I was tired of Yeerks, of fighting the Andalites' war, of fighting the human race's war. I needed to be…whole again. Instead of never knowing if one of my friends were going to die, if I was going to die or if the fear would take over. If I let the fear start, it would never end. I would be trapped…

But this, said the other half of me, was an escape. I could get away from the war, I could leave the Animorphs. I would be without Cassie… But I would be _free._ No more Yeerks, no more aliens, no more Animorphs. I would miss morphing- the feeling of flying, the tiger's senses, but I would be alive. I wouldn't be worrying night and day that Tom was going to figure it out- he was going to burst into my room when I was morphing, or…or… The voice said.

But the part of me fought- I had duty, I had to save Earth, to hold off the Yeerks until the Andalites came, I had to-to…

"JAKE!" 

I woke up from my thoughts, and shook my head. "Wha?" I called.  
"Jake, it's the phone. Rachel wants to talk."

"Rachel?"

"Yes. Now hurry! She hasn't got all day."

I stood up, walking slowly, staring at familiar objects but not really focusing or grasping what they were. I met my mom in the kitchen, holding the phone and looking like I had done something wrong by not coming sooner.

I took the phone from her hand, and she walked off, probably to vacuum some old, unused part of the house. I took the phone.

"Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to know when we were going to get together again to study," She asked. It wasn't really like a question; it was more like a statement.

"I don't know. Tonight? Let's say…2'o clock?"

"Fine. At Cassie's?"

"Of course. See ya, cuz." I told her with fake enthusiasm. 

"See ya," She replied.

I hung up.

It was going to be a long day-and night.

Chapter 32

Cassie

It was two. We were at my barn. Talking about when was the best time to attack the next arcade.

"I'd say tonight," Rachel stated. "We hit them tonight, and they aren't going to be prepared as well. Any later, it'll be way too hard. It will already be a problem to get in the mall."

Marco grinned grimly. "I know how to get in. We go just as their getting ready to close- then head to the bathroom. Then, we morph something small. Climb up onto the ceiling. No one will ever notice. We demorph every two hours 'til Ax tells us its dark outside. Then, we demorph, and remorph something that can see but is small- like a fly. Then, we find the arcade. That arcade is bigger- and there are only one or two cameras. We bust them, then find the entrance."

"Easier said then done," Jake pointed out. "But we can do it. I think we should check the place out, just to know what we're doing."

"Won't that seem suspicious?" I asked. "I mean, they probably remember us from the last arcade- someone might, anyway. And then we could get arrested for being the last people there before we destroyed the entrance."

"Good point. Maybe only two of us should go?"

"Or we should morph someone."

I stared at Marco.

"What? It was only a _suggestion_. We are trying to save the world after all, Cassie. It's wrong, but I'd rather do that than doom mankind."

"Wha-" I began, but Jake cut me off.

"We'll only do that if we have too. Cassie- you know I don't want to do that, but we might have too. It IS wrong, but if the Yeerks take over, it will be even worse." Jake looked at me, his eyes dark and his face shut. I couldn't read it, but I could hear…something in his voice. But what?

I sighed. They were right. "I hope it doesn't come down to that."

"Me too. But if it comes between having mankind as slaves or morphing other humans, I'd choose the latter any day."

"I guess so." I answered. "I hope you know what you're doing, Jake."

"So do I, Cassie. So do I."

Chapter 33

Rachel

We left the barn after that, deciding to walk/ride to the mall later so we didn't look weird. 

The mall closed around 5, so I decided I would take a cab to the mall around 4. That would give me time to meet the others at the food court, where we usually met at the mall. Tobias, Ax, and Marco would be coming together, and Jake and Cassie would be together as well. I would be alone.

How ironic…Or at least, with some situations. I didn't feel like getting into another debate with myself. It wasn't the time.

Yawning, I walked home. Maybe I would catch some sleep at home. I was kind of tired after yesterday. I had come home, around ten, sneaking into my bedroom upstairs. Cassie had been with me, because my house is closer, though harder to get into without being caught. But by now, we knew how to without making a sound. Trust me.

If I had gone to bed straightaway at ten, like Cassie, I wouldn't be tired at all. In fact, I would've been well rested. But I had stayed up reading until one or maybe two. My clock is broken.

On the way home I passed a house that seemed to be having a party. It seemed to be early for something for Halloween, so I paused, wondering about it. Then, shrugging, I moved on. If they wanted to celebrate early let them. 

I reached my house, and walked in. It was quiet; I figured that mom must've taken Jordan and Sara out somewhere. Maybe to eat.

I went up to my room, and fell onto the bed, exhausted. I would need rest for tonight. 

I looked at the clock, and then went back downstairs, and memorized the time, waiting until it changed to 3:13 before racing upstairs, grabbing the clock, and fixing it. I moved it a minute ahead, just to make sure. Then, I set the alarm for 4:00 PM. I was going to sleep, but I didn't want to be late. That done, I fell onto the bed, asleep before I even met the covers.

Chapter 34

Marco

I was walking home when I saw _her_. Kari. 

She was just as beautiful as ever, and she looked thrilled to see me.

"Marco!" She exclaimed. "I've been looking for you everywhere! We need to talk!"

Surprised, I let her drag me off to a grove of trees far from the city. I couldn't believe how far she had taken me; it must've been miles.

A panic siren went off in my head. I was far from probably anyone. I was alone with, I admitted, a complete stranger. Anything could happen…

Kari's green-gray eyes stared into mine, showing some unknown emotion to me.

"Marco," She said her voice wavery. "I have to tell you something." She sounded unsure of her words, as if she were reciting them from the past, only remembering them vaguely.

"What? There's someone else?" I said, staring into her eyes. She was a little taller than me- not much, but a little. Her eyes looked at the top of my head when looking straight at me.

She smiled, and laughed. "No, Marco. It's not that…Although I almost wish it were…" Her voice trailed off.

"I don't understand."

She took a deep breath. "Marco." Her voice was gaining confidence with each word. "I need to show you something."

"Show me what? This isn't going to be like-" I began.

Kari looked surprised; then, she realized what I was saying. She laughed again. "Of course not. No, Marco."

"OK. That's eliminating two thoughts that were in my mind,"

"It's…Something…That." Her voice stopped, and she sat on the grass, leaning against a tree.

"I don't know, Marco. I've never told anyone…Normal…"

"You're in a gang? A communist group?" 

She chuckled again. "It's almost worse, Marco. I'm not in any…gang…"

"Well then what is it?"

Her eyes dulled, and lowered to the ground, the green seeming to fade away in a gray mist in her eyes. "Meet me here at this spot tonight. Before the moon has risen, but after the sun sets." 

I was surprised by her request, then shrugged. "OK. Don't wait up if I'm late."

"I will, Marco. See you tonight."

She got up, and walked away, but then turned. "And Marco-" She called.  
"Yeah?"

"It would be to your advantage if you weren't late." 

And with that, she turned around, and moved away. Until all I could see was the brown of the trees and the grass that was almost dead.

Chapter 34

Tobias

It was almost time. I was with Ax, waiting for Marco. We were at the edge of the forest. Finally, Ax spotted him.

Look, friend Tobias. There he is, to your left.

Thanks, Ax-Man. Hey, Marco! I called to him. He looked up, and waved. He looked like his mind was on something else.

"Hey guys. Ready to go?"

We'll have to morph later on; otherwise it will be too long for us. I told him.

"Alright."

He moved on, Ax had morphed seagull so no one would think he was weird- a centaur looking alien with no mouth, a weird nose, bluish-tan fur, a scorpion tail. 

Marco led the way, looking thoughtfully at the sky and around him every once in awhile. Hawk eyes don't miss anything.

We're close to the mall, I said in Marco's head, questioning him. 

He gave a slight nod. 

Ax. Look for a place to morph.

Okay.

I myself began to look.

There! The park. Those trees are perfect. I wheeled towards the trees, Ax following. We landed, and Ax began to demorph, then quickly morph human so no one would see. I then did the same.

Marco met us outside the trees, and we walked towards the mall, feeling slightly self-conscious that we weren't properly dressed. At least, I did. I don't know about Ax. He's just clueless when it comes to clothes.

We walked into the mall, Marco still silent. He led us to the food court, while I looked about the mall. It had been forever since I had actually been there, like, BEEN there. Shopping. You don't go buying clothes when you're a bird. 

We saw Cassie and Rachel there, Cassie looked worried. 

"Where's Jake," Marco demanded. 

"He…couldn't make it," Cassie said. "He told me his mom wouldn't let him out because it was a family time. She wanted him home because he's gone so much. That's what he told me when I called him to get ready."

Rachel's face was glaring daggers. 

"Well, that cancels the mission then," Marco said, looking happy.

"I guess so." Cassie said, biting her lip. "I'm worried about him. He's being so odd lately."

"Yeah."

"So…"

Ax looked at me hopefully. "Can we have some burritos. Toes. Bur. Eat. Os. And cinna buns? Buhns. Huns."

Marco looked at us all. "I'm leaving now if we don't have to do it! I'm leaving before Rachel decides to barge in there herself." 

Cassie sighed, and I just kind of looked around. 

Rachel turned to me. "Well, since you're hear, want to look around?" 

"What about Ax?"

"Cassie can take him home. Right Cassie?"

"Sure. Have a good time,"

As they left, I waved, and Rachel dragged me off to some store I had never heard of to look for some sweater.

Chapter 35

Marco

I moved quickly from the mall, and then headed towards the tree grove. It would be quicker to morph, but I wanted to look normal.

Some part warned me not to go, but I ignored it. I was going to see what Kari had to say. If it got weird, I would leave. And I could morph if it got too bad. It would mean that Kari wouldn't be able to live, but I could…

In a half-hour our so of walking and searching, I found the place she had taken me to. The sun was setting, and I emerged into the middle of the trees, trying to find exactly where she and I had been.

"Marco, you're here," Said Kari's voice.

"Kari!" I called, surprised. I turned around, and there she was- the green of her eyes showing up and smothering the gray. They seemed to glow with a life of their own.

"Marco, you're here." She repeated. "I didn't think…that you'd come."

"Well yeah uh."

"Don't scream," She pleaded, her eyes leading me to a spot where we could see the sun going down.

"Scream?" I said puzzled. "Don't worry, I'm hard to scare."

Kari grimaced. "Just wait…"

She stared up at the sky, waiting for something. I looked in the same direction, but didn't see anything. "It's just the moon rising," I told her.  
She laughed. "Just the moon. You won't be saying that later. But Marco, promise me you won't run. No matter what. Promise me. Promise, Marco."

She was still looking at the sky so I couldn't see her expression.

"Fine." I answered finally. "I do. I promise."

We stood in silence for a half hour at least, and I began to grow uncomfortable. "Kari, there's nothing here. Let's go-"

"It's almost here, Marco. Just another minute," She pleaded.

"Fine." I sighed. I began to count the seconds off in my head. _1, 2, 3…_

Finally, the moon was up enough that you could see the whole thing. Kari gave a small shudder, then-

Something happened. Dirty, gnarled fur covered her body as a tail shot out, and her ears moved up the side of her head and became wolf ears. 

__

Is she morphing? I wondered. Her face became a muzzle. Her clothes ripped. Her feet and hands became wolf paws, but somehow they seemed human. 

Finally, she turned, on all fours. She was like a wolf, but still human. She stared at me, her eyes still green-gray. The thing gave a howl. I backed away.

__

You see, Marco? I told you. This is my secret…I'm a beast of the night, I heard her voice in my head. I ran into a tree, and tried to press myself into it. Her eyes looked sad.

The wolf gave a moan. _I knew this would happen. I'll leave, Marco._

"No! Wait," I croaked. "How…how did you do that?"

The wolf laughed, an evil sounding thing, though I knew that that wasn't it's intentions. _Marco, don't you understand? I am a werewolf. A night-creature. A beast._

"You mean," I said. "You can't…can't morph?"

__

Morph?

And looking into those eyes, I saw puzzlement. She wasn't a Yeerk then.

"You know- morph. Become any animal by acquiring it's DNA. It's not like…like you, but it's like it. I can become a wolf." 

Kari looked at me sideways. As if _I_ were the crazy one. 

I began to morph, turning into a wolf.

See? I asked her. I can become any animal I touch. I have some friends who can do it too. Ax, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, Jake-

__

Jake!? She demanded sharply. She gave a rough description of him.

How did you know? I asked.

__

Because, She admitted. _I bit him. He is a werewolf now too. That is- unless he doesn't kill within the first three full moons. And one is already done._

No wonder he has been weird.

__

I'm sorry. I didn't know he was your friend…

I stared into her eyes, and demorphed. Kari stared at me. 

__

You probably hate me for being what I am. For what I did. I would understand. I will go if that is your wish.

"No." I said. Somehow… I felt… _Attached_ to Kari. Like Jake to Cassie. Rachel to Tobias. 

"Kari. Stay."

She moved over to me, and though she was bigger than a pony, she laid down by me and put her head on my lap. 

It was like a Great Dane, but with a need to take a bath or shower. And she needed a haircut. I couldn't believe it was Kari. Kari was different from this huge beast. But…it was. It was Kari.

"Is there a way to save Jake," I asked.

__

Keep him from killing and eating meat during the nights of the full moon. She answered simply. _Or cut off a limb if he does. _

I shuddered. Even though we can heal ourselves by morphing, I figured it wouldn't be smart.

"Will you help me? Help us- the Animorphs save Jake?"

__

Certainly. 

"Kari, let me tell you a story. Once, there were 5 kids…"


	7. Silent Dreams (Chapters 36-40)

Chapter 36

Jake

Full Moon 2

I had lied to Cassie. I _had_ to. If they knew…If the Animorphs knew what was going on…

I shuddered to think what they would think of me. I turned to stare out the window. The moon was almost up…Almost…

I went outside. I couldn't risk being inside when changing. Silently (or at least, semi-silently) I moved through the bushes until I was a block or two away. This time, I wasn't going to be seen. I was going to hide from that one wolf beast. I didn't want to be tempted into becoming some sort of monster forever. 

I moved so that I was hidden from the moonlight, but I knew that I was going to change anyway. And change I did…

It went faster this time. I was a werewolf in less than a minute. On all fours, I had the senses and the speed of some supernatural creature. 

Quickly, I raced through the night towards a grove of trees I knew of. I would hide there from the wolf creature, and await the dawn. 

After I had left the city area, I moved slower, until I could smell the trees, and see them. They were just ahead when I caught the sent of something else. Human. 

It took a minute for my brain to register. What was a human doing out in the middle of the night at a grove of trees, at least three miles from civilization?

I slowed to a trot. There was another sent. A scent that chilled me. It was the other werewolf's scent. I slid into the shadows, circling the grove, going in smaller and smaller circles 'til I could hear. I perked my ears, and laid down so that they wouldn't be able to see me.

"-That's when we met Ax. He's our resident Andalite _aristh_. His full name is like, 'Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthil', but it's too hard to pronounce so we just call him Ax."

The voice cut into me. MARCO! What was _he_ doing in there, telling someone- or some_thing_- our history?

I raced towards the grove without thinking, and burst through the trees and brush.

__

MARCO! I cried. _What are you doing with that- that _thing_?_

Marco looked surprised. The wolf leapt up, and turned facing me, its fur raising on its body making it look three times bigger. 

__

Wolfing! It howled. _I told you-_

"Leave him alone, Kari."

__

Kari?!

Yes, The other beast bristled. _Kari. That is the name I was born with. But Jake, you are about to learn why the other night-creatures call me Raksha. _

I growled back, baring my teeth, while we began to circle. Marco was yelling something, waving his arms, but we didn't listen. This time, the wolf-beast wasn't going to escape.

Chapter 37

Cassie

I puzzled about what had happened. I was at home. I had taken Ax to the woods hours ago, after convincing him I didn't have any money to buy him a cinnamon bun. 

I wondered why Jake had stayed home, because I had called his mother and she had told me he wasn't home. 

Which was strange. Jake had never abandoned a mission, really. He might be uncomfortable, or nervous- but he NEVER abandoned a mission or lied about it. Which made me worried. I called Rachel's house, but Rachel wasn't home. I didn't know Marco's phone number. So I decided to go to his house.

***

After finding no success there, I was REALLY worried. Marco, Jake, and Rachel weren't home. I figured Rachel and Tobias were still at the mall. But where was Marco?

I had to find him. So I decided to go see Ax to see if he might have any ideas. Plus, two can cover a search faster than one.

***

We searched the forest, Ax below the tree level and I above. I was in owl morph, and Ax was himself- after all, he knows the forest almost better than Tobias does. But Jake wasn't there. I doubted he would have been, but…You never know.

So we searched on. I called his mom again to see if she knew where he had gone. I called Rachel's house to see if she was home yet. But she wasn't. Neither was Marco. So Ax and I were stuck to find Jake on our own. 

Turning to Ax, I tried to find out if Marco had said anything about where he was going. If we found Marco, he might know something. Maybe he was with Jake.

No, sorry Cassie. He didn't do or say anything unusual when Tobias and I were with him. Maybe we should search the town?

"It would take to long to search the whole town. You're SURE he didn't say anything about tonight? Like, meeting someone or going somewhere?"

No, he didn't.

I sighed. "Maybe we should just give up. Well. We can always look for Rachel and Tobias. They might know something. Tobias might, at least."

Fine. Does this that mean at the mall we get cinnamon buns? I could hear the eagerness in his 'voice'.

I laughed. "Sure Ax. You can have one or two when we find Rachel and Tobias."

Chapter 38

Tobias

Rachel dragged me through store after store. I wasn't really paying attention, although I have to say several outfits she put on and showed me were enough to pull me out of my daze. (A/N: ^_^)

At about the fiftieth store, I thought I caught sight of Ax. But with my lame human eyes, I couldn't be sure. 

"Hey, Rachel. Doesn't that look like Ax to you?"

"Hmm?" She replied, searching a clothes rack.  
"Is. That. Ax?" I repeated, stressing each word to my best ability. Not being human for awhile tends to make you awkward using a real voice, facial expressions, and the like. 

"Ax? Oh yeah, I think so."  
Rolling my eyes, I pulled Rachel towards Ax.

"Tobias! Ias. Too. Bias! Tobias, Cassie and I have been looking for you. Oo. You."

"Riiiiight. So, where's Cassie?"

Ax looked around. "Um. Mmmm. Over there?" He pointed. 

Rachel looked. "Cassie!" She called.

Cassie looked around, and spotting us, ran over. Slightly panting, she began to tell us something.

"I'm looking for Jake & Marco. Do you guys know where he is? Or where they are?" 

"Er. No. Is it important?" Asked Rachel. "I almost found a shirt I liked. I needed to see if it fit…"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Yes, it IS important. So, can you guys help us find them? They're not at home, or in the forest. Or in the mall. Where could they be?"

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know it could take hours to find them."

"Not with four of us. Alright, what we need to do is-" I broke off, and looked around. I ushered them towards a sparsely populated spot and finished. "We morph owls- or something that can see in the dark, like, bats, and then we spread out and search outside. If they aren't there, we start checking they're favorite places, and move on. We're only going to check out the parks that are in the town when I say 'outside'. First person who sees them calls to the others."

Cassie shrugged. "Sounds good. I suggest we do bat. It'll be easier to fly around."

"Alright. Let's get this over with."  
"What about the cinna buns? Bunz. Unz."

"Later, Ax." Cassie told him. "This time I promise."

Chapter 39

Rachel

So that's what we did- we went to find him. I-WE morphed bats and went off, every five seconds or so sending off echolocation to 'see'. An etch-a-sketch for eyes, in a sense.

Bat morph may not be my favorite- it's like fly morph. Gross, but _fun_. Dodging, weaving in the dark. Loop-the-loops. Fun.

Right. Well, there we were- running around looking for Marco or Jake or both. Tobias was with me, and Ax was with Cassie. We had (as you noticed) changed the plan a bit- instead of being separate parties, we were groups of two.

There, ahead Rachel. To you're left.

I turned where Tobias had indicated and sent out a small blast. There it was- a park, with a bunch of trees thrown together. A grove, I think it's called. 

I dived down, as if to catch an insect, and flew to the tree grove. I sent another blast and caught…Dogs? Dogs fighting? Extremely big dogs for that matter. Like, horse-sized dogs. One of them was badly beaten and bloody from long scratches, its fur torn and mangy.

And…somehow I heard voices in my head. Like thought speak, but different. And who was _that_? …. 

MARCO! I exclaimed.

Marco looked around, though I figured he could barely see in the dark. 

Tobias and I are in bat morph. We're going to get Cassie and Ax, wait here for us!

He nodded, and then turned back to where the growls and roars were coming from. And when I say roars, I mean, _roars_. These dogs…or whatever they were were monsters. 

Tobias and I 'glided' off into the night to find Cassie.

Chapter 40

Ax

Tobias and Rachel found us just as we were going to find them, after having an unsuccessful search for Prince Jake or/and Marco.

You guys! We found Marco! Called Tobias to us. I sent out an echolocation blast and located them.

Where is he? Asked Cassie.

Follow us, Rachel replied. Every so often we sent off echolocation blasts and followed her and Tobias to the location: a park with a group of trees placed together.

There it is, Tobias said grimly.

Why so gloomy?

You'll see. He answered, in a term I believe my human friends would call mysteriously.

We flew down, outside the trees and demorphed. I moved quickly, so as not to be seen by any stray humans.

Inside the trees, I could hear some sort of snarling, roaring noise. I moved faster, fearing for Marco's life. 

There, in a clearing, was a dusty cloud, with two dog-like beasts rolling it in- slashing, biting, and snarling.

"What's going on!?" Cassie asked.

"It's a long story." Said a voice behind her. Marco.

Just as he said that, the two monsters pulled apart- one bleeding, the other merely tired. It was much larger than the other one.

__

Are these the ones?

Asked a voice in my head. Shocked, I spun around- a human thing to do, but one I had acquired. 

__

He reacted just like you said he would.

"I know." Marco answered with a shrug.

Rachel spun on him. "What's going on Marco? What's that voice?"

There was a gnashing of teeth, and I saw that it was one of the beasts making the noise. It bared its yellowed teeth.

__

That voice has a name. And I_ can tell you what's going on._

"No, Kari." Marco said. "Let me."

And in the growing darkness, Marco began to tell us a story.


	8. Silent Dreams (Chapters 41-46)

Chapter 41

Rachel

I listened but I didn't believe a word of it. Jake couldn't be that…thing ahead of us. The girl I had shoved away from our table- that couldn't be her. A dog.

And yet, here I was, a girl who could become a wolf herself talking. But my mind fought- that was different. Monsters- mythical things, dragons, vampires, werewolves- they didn't exist. Monsters like Visser Three, Crayak- they did.

We stayed silent until he finished speaking, which must've been two hours later. The darkness had grown impenetrable. I couldn't see an inch in front of me. 

I had been leaning against a tree the whole time, and now I stretched. I turned to where I thought Marco was.

"Well, Marco, that was a nice story. But we have to find Jake now."

"That _is_ Jake, Rachel."

I started to morph, when a heavy weight fell on top of me. I let out all my air, and went down. Hard. The weight still on me.

__

Don't believe this?

A low, throaty growl, teeth the size of a knife less than inches in front of me. Drool and spittle on my face. Red coal eyes burning into mine, hypnotizing me. Making me-

Suddenly, the beast-Kari-was sent rolling by-

"JAKE!" I cried out. 

I began to morph.

Chapter 42

Kari

Jake flung himself into me, and I rolled off of Rachel. I turned myself to fight Jake, teeth bared. Marco was staring around, trying to find where the sounds were coming from. At the thought of Marco, my heart softened- I had told him I would-

I felt teeth sink into my leg, teeth that worried my leg like a bird neck. I focused on the fight, and swiped with new energy, snapping and slashing at him.

Jake cried out with each hit, though he managed to get a few scratches in me, but most hit only fur. 

Suddenly, I felt a pain in my back- turned- and I saw an Andalite and a wolf biting me, fighting. Marco had found the direction, was walking forward-a paw knocked him out. There was now four more fighters: an Andalite, a wolf, a grizzly bear, and a red-tailed hawk.

I gave a howl, and all but the bear froze at the sound, and that gave me time to slash Jake's eyes, causing him to howl with pain.

__

I warned you, wolfling. 

Jake's bloody eyes stared at me, not seeing. The hair raised on the wolf's back. 

Jake! Are you okay!?

__

Fine he answered faintly. He was almost spent. Unlike me, he had sat in the shadows. The moon had strengthened me during Marco's explanation. 

This time, I would win, Marco or not.

Chapter 43

Cassie

Jake's eyes were gouged out, he couldn't see. He couldn't fight without his eyes! 

I leapt forward, angry at the monster before me. Angry…

Kari dodged and I hit the ground hard. Missed. Kari was fast; fast like the leopard had been fast. I was lead, she was liquid steel. She might look ugly- but she was fast at a whole new level.

I ran to Jake's side to protect him, while Ax and Rachel and Tobias attacked. Jake was still on the ground, blood seeping from his wounds while he slowly bled to death. Why couldn't he fix himself? Why…

Kari dodged our attacks nimbly, when I noticed something. Ax, Rachel, Tobias, Jake and I were here, but where was Marco?

I searched the ground, my eyes not working well in the dark, relying on my nose. But even my nose couldn't penetrate the darkness. Jake was dying! What…

__

Cassie…

His voice was so faint in my head. I laid beside him. Cried inside. Jake was dying. The blood was everywhere. Blood….Jake….dying!

Chapter 44

Jake

I was dying. I knew that. Cassie was crying, I could hear mental sobs in my head, could hear and smell battle around me. Blood blotted my vision, my eyes-…

__

Cassie…I moaned mentally. I was melting, my mind fading in and out, noises fading and rising, smells drifting away. My thoughts were muddling in my head. I was…

Where was my mom? She was calling me, I could hear her, see her- but where was she? I could see…but I couldn't. Where?

No wait, it wasn't mom! It was Tom. Talking about the Sharing. Telling me, encouraging me to go and join. Sneering at me, crying to me, laughing at me.

Now it was my dad. Telling me about his day. Taking us to…

Rachel laughing. Marco joking. Cassie crying. Ax speaking about…something.

Images and sounds and smells I couldn't make sense of, stuck together here and there, melting my perception, I was dying, oh where was that Ellimist now? Where were the Andalites? Where was _Cassie?_

I couldn't see anymore. Just red. Cassie crying. Sounds of battle so faint. So….

And then I said hello to the blackness of nothing.

Chapter 45

Tobias

Jake's dead! Jake's dead!!! Blood everywhere….Jake, wake up. Oh….

Cassie's voice! I had morphed finally to one of my few morphs, one that could see, or at least hear in the dark of the night: Ax.

I was copying his moves, because I didn't know anything about being Andalite. But now..

Now, I turned to Cassie's voice, I turned and moved towards Jake, who was dying. Dying on the grass, red eyes- red eyes of blood!

I ran to him, to Cassie, to-

Ohh he's dead! Jake! Wake up, Jake…

Sobs and cries were rising and falling, Rachel still fighting, Ax pulling back, pulling back to see Jake, where was Marco?

Jake's dead. Blood everywhere…Red eyes.

Cassie, it's ok. It's ok. I moved awkwardly to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. 

Cassie leaned against me, crying, saying words I couldn't make out. 

"What…happened?" Asked Marco. 

Jake's dead!! Cassie moaned. 

I heard Marco fumbling in the dark to find us. From somewhere, there was laughing. Familiar laughing, at that. Coming from…

All the sudden, the darkness turned to light. We could see everything, all the details. Jake's eyes…His side, there must've been a foot long scratch…

Not only that, everyone was demorphed. Except, of course, Jake and Kari. And there- was the Drode.

Chapter 46

Marco

"What's going on?" I demanded. 

The giant prune-man simply laughed. Kari's eyes had become their normal color, and had become slits. She was staring at the Drode.

__

Who is this? She asked.

"The Drode." He said, with a bow. "Crayak has sent me, because of Jake's…departure." He started laughing again.

"What's so ******* funny?" I demanded. "I make the jokes around here."

Drode stopped laughing. "Well he's tried so long to get rid of Jake. And now- a wolf has done it for him. This will open up the slots in Master Crayak's ranks." He said the last part to Kari.

__

I work for no one. I kill who I want. I don't do some eyeball's work.

My lips twitched. Even after what she had done, I still felt-

I shook my head. Kari was a murderer. She killed Jake.

Drode shrugged. "Well, the offer is always there. But in that case…"

Suddenly-

The Ellimist appeared.

I threw my hands into the air. "Well, now that Jake's gone it's a party! Come on, let's get Ax some Cinnamon Buns."

DRODE. WHY ARE YOU HERE?

"Isn't it obvious? Crayak's messenger has come to collect."

HAHAHAHA. IF THE GIRL DOESN'T WISH TO JOIN, WHY NOT BARGAIN WITH HER? I'M SURE SHE COULD DO THE SAME TO YOU EASILY. OR I.

"But the rules-"

I KNOW THEM. LET THE GIRL DECIDE. PERHAPS YOU'LL GET SOMETHING YOU WANT ANYWAY.

Drode sneered, but turned to Kari.

"Well? Do you want something?"

"Yes."

I noticed that Kari had become human again. But how? And…

Suddenly, it seemed as if Kari had noticed too. "What the…"

I THOUGHT IT MIGHT MAKE EVEYRONE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH YOU IN A LESS DANGEROUS FORM.

I rolled my eyes. Jake was dead, and here he was talking about werewolves becoming human…

"What is it you want?"

"I…want…"

I noticed everyone staring at her…

IF SHE CAN'T DECIDE, I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOUR MASTER CRAYAK DRODE.

"Yes…?"

GET RID OF THE TIME MACHINE AND THE NEW ENTRANCES.

"What?! Ar-"

CRAYAK HAS WHAT HE WANTS. JAKE IS DEAD. DO IT.

Drode looked furious, and disappeared for a minute. Then he came back.

"Crayak agrees. He even expresses his thanks to the girl- he still will give her whatever she wishes."

Kari looked from me to the others to the shiny blue light that was the Ellimist to Drode and back. Thought. 

"I choose…I…"

Everyone stared at her, willing her to decide, trying to get her to…

To…

"I…want…"

Hard stares. Drode looking smug. Rachel looking angry. Cassie looking like she would like to die. Tobias looking…fierce, as always. And Ax looking… sad? Missing his Prince?

Kari… What?

I remembered the words Jake had said when we were dealing with Aftran.

**__**

I guess sometimes you have to choose between smart, sane, ruthlessness, and totally stupid, insane hope.

I guess I said it aloud, because now they were staring at me. Cassie and Rachel smiling vaguely, remembering too. 

Drode's smug look was fading. Finally, Kari turned to him. Face set, jaw clenched. Cassie and Rachel's looks returning a little, the smile still there, faintly pressed on them. 

Jake lay on the floor. Jake, Cassie, Rachel, Tobias, Ax, Kari, Drode, Ellimist, and I. Waiting. Waiting to decide the fate that could affect everyone, or no one, or…

"Drode. I choose…"


End file.
